1. Field
The present application relates to a communication device in which two or more microphones are installed in a predetermined space and any one of signals input from the microphones is selected, whereby telephone communication is performed, and a telephone communication method of the communication device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hands-free device or telematics terminal device is installed inside a vehicle such that telephone communication can be easily performed during driving. Further, in addition to a microphone for a body mounted to the hands-free device or telematics terminal device, a microphone is mounted to a dashboard, a steering wheel, a ceiling above a driver's seat, or the like such that driver's voice can be well transmitted to a communication counterpart. Furthermore, such a device causes the communication counterpart's voice to be output through an audio system of the vehicle.
A driver can safely and conveniently talk over the telephone using such a telephone communication device even during driving.
However, since a microphone for telephone communication is currently mounted in a vehicle at a position adjacent to a driver's seat, such as a dashboard, a steering wheel, a ceiling of the driver's seat, as described above, an occupant sitting on a passenger's seat or rear seat has a difficulty in performing telephone communication using the microphone.
That is, the telephone communication using a hands-free device or telematics terminal device may be performed by not only a driver or an occupant sitting on a passenger's seat but also another occupant sitting on rear seats. However, in this case, since a microphone is mounted only to a side of a driver's seat, there is a problem in that a voice signal is not precisely transmitted to a communication counterpart due to a howling phenomenon or the like caused by a distance between a sound source and a microphone.
Further, a telematics terminal device provides not only telephone communication function but also various additional functions of voice recording and the like using a microphone function. However, in a case where an occupant sitting on a passenger's seat or rear seat records his or her voice, a voice signal is not precisely transmitted to a microphone mounted to the telematics terminal device, whereby the voice recording is not well performed.